Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Company Accounts

baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 18 January (HL12949), whether the overriding obligation for a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss as set out in section 393 of the Companies Act 2006, relates to the public policy objectives of company law; and how itrelates to the objectives relating to setting accounting standards where those objectives differ.

lord henley: The true and fair test in section 393 of the Companies Act is the overarching test that is applied to a company’s annual accounts. If a company produces accounts, in accordance with the legal requirements, which are inconsistent with the Companies Act requirement to give a true and fair view, then the directors must depart from the accounting standards to the extent necessary to give a true and fair view. Particulars of any such departure, the reasons for it and its effect must be given in a note to the accounts. The IAS Regulation (EU Regulation No. 1606/2002) includes requirements to consider the accounting standards system as a whole. Article 3(2) of that Regulation provides that a new form of international accounting standard can only be adopted if it is not contrary to the principle that an undertaking’s accounts must give a true and fair view of the undertaking’s assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. This requirement ensures that no new form of international accounting standard is adopted for use in the UK if the application of that standard would lead to companies in general contravening the true and fair test.

Brexit

lord davies of stamford: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which sectors of commerce or industry they have requested or required that evidence of submissions made to them in connection with legislation relating to the UK's withdrawal from the EU be kept confidential.

lord henley: HM Government uses multiple communication channels to reach a wide range of businesses to discuss a range of issues, including on EU Exit and associated legislation. This includes regular meetings with businesses, such as Sector Councils, the EU Exit Business Readiness Forums, media campaigns, phone calls, emails, letters, press releases and social media.

Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day

baroness mone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark the Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day on 27 June.

lord henley: Our business environment is amongst the best in the world and Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are the backbone of our economy, playing a key role in helping the UK remain the best place to start and grow a small business. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly, recognising the importance of these enterprises, has declared 27 June the Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day which we support through the ongoing work of our modern Industrial Strategy. Through our modern Industrial Strategy, we are doing even more to ensure the UK remains the best place in the world to start and grow a business – whether that is through creating the right environment for business; investing in research; creating a workforce skilled for the future or taking hold of the opportunities EU exit presents for trade. Through programmes operated by the Government-owned British Business Bank they are currently supporting over £5.5bn of finance to over 78,000 SMEs; and since its launch in 2012, the Start-Up Loans programme, part of the British Business Bank, has delivered more than 59,000 loans, totalling over £450m.

Carbon Emissions

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to meet the legally-binding carbon targets in the Climate Change Act 2008.

lord henley: The Government is committed to tackling climate change and we are making strong progress towards our legally binding carbon budgets established in the world-leading Climate Change Act.We over-achieved on the first carbon budget, covering 2008-12, by 1.2%. The final greenhouse gas emissions statistics for 2017 confirmed that we have over-achieved on the second carbon budget, covering 2013-17. We are on track to meet the third carbon budget (2018-22); and are already on track to deliver over 90% of our required performance against 1990 levels for the fourth and fifth carbon budgets. Since 1990 we have reduced emissions by 42% while growing our economy by 72%.We recognise the need to go further and our Clean Growth Strategy sets out our plans through to 2032, including ambitious proposals on housing, business, transport, the natural environment and green finance.Since publishing the Clean Growth Strategy, our key achievements include: holding the first Green GB Week; announcement of two clean growth “missions” as part of our Industrial Strategy; publication of the CCUS Deployment Pathway; actions to reduce emissions from our industry and buildings, including a £315m Industrial Energy Transformation Fund; our Road to Zero Strategy, setting out ambitious measures to drive deployment of zero emission vehicles, while reducing emissions from existing vehicles; publication of the Green Finance Taskforce report; and commissioning the Committee on Climate Change to provide advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets, including on setting a net zero target.

Lighting: Safety

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that products which convert bayonet light fittings to screw fittings for new LED bulbs are safe to use.

lord henley: The Government places great importance on the safety of consumers. Under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 manufacturers are required to ensure that the products they place on the market comply with the safety objectives of the Regulations. Manufacturers must also provide clear instructions and safety information with each product.

Energy: Cost Benefit Analysis

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out a cost benefit analysis of the investment of public money in securing a mix of energy supplies including nuclear power for the UK.

lord henley: We regularly assess the costs and benefits of different technologies – including nuclear power – and assess the impact of different technologies on energy security, decarbonisation and consumer bills. As my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State set out in Parliament on 17 January 2019, the Government is looking at new financing models for supporting new nuclear projects, including a Regulated Asset Base model as recommended by the National Audit Office. We intend to publish our assessment of this method in due course.

Nuclear Power

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a mix of energy supplies for the UK must include nuclear power.

lord henley: As my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State set out in his statement to the House on 17 January, we continue to believe that nuclear has an important role to play in the UK’s future energy mix, but it must represent good value for the taxpayer and consumer. Our internal analysis indicates that nuclear power can make a significant contribution to the UK’s energy future, and that decarbonisation of the power sector can be achieved cheaply, securely and reliably if nuclear can deliver good value for money. We will set out more detail on the Government’s approach to new nuclear as part of the planned Energy White Paper to be published in the summer

UK Audit Standards Independent Review

baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Henley on 1 February (HL13348) and 18 January (HL12949), whether thescope for Sir Donald Brydon’s independent review will includethe expectations and protection of shareholders, creditors and the public; and whether the term "users" of accounts encompasses shareholders, creditors and the public.

lord henley: The terms of reference of Sir Donald Brydon’s independent review into the quality and effectiveness of audit have now been published and are available on gov.uk. The terms of reference confirm that the Review will consider “the needs and expectations of stakeholders who make use of company audits” and “will undertake engagement with a wide range of stakeholders in order to fully understand the range of issues involved.” The nature and extent of this work is a matter for Sir Donald’s independent review.

Honda: Swindon

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Honda’s decision to close its factory in Swindon on the wider supply chain in the UK car industry.

lord henley: This is a concerning time for the 3,500 workers at the Swindon plant and the many thousands of people employed by companies in Honda UK’s supply chain. The Government will come together to provide support for those affected by this decision. A Task Force met for the first time on 20 February, bringing together leaders from local and national government, trade unions, workers from Honda UK, representatives from business groups and local civic leaders. There are many companies of varying sizes across the UK which supply components to Honda’s operations in Swindon. Steps will be taken to support those companies which are adversely affected by this news. Through the Automotive Council, a collaboration between Government and industry, we work with the supply chain right across the automotive sector, and this will be a prominent part of our discussions, plans and decisions over the weeks ahead. The Government is determined to ensure that the UK continues to be one of the most competitive locations in the world for automotive and other advanced manufacturing. Despite Honda’s announcement, the UK automotive industry remains one of our great success stories. Global demand for UK designed, engineered and manufactured vehicles is strong. Several companies have recently committed to investing billions of pounds in the sector. Through our Industrial Strategy and landmark Automotive Sector Deal, we are working with industry to put the UK at the forefront of new automotive technologies to ensure the UK remains the destination of choice for future investment decisions. Last year the government announced our mission under the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles and good progress has already been made. Government and industry have committed £1 billion over 10 years to 2023 through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). Government has committed £246m to the Faraday Battery Challenge, and circa £80m in the last Budget to the Stephenson Challenge, newly named ‘Driving the Electric Revolution’. The Sector Deal also includes up to £32 million of joint funding for an industry-led supply chain competitiveness programme to help grow the UK supply chain and make it internationally competitive.

Fracking

lord palmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will review the shale gas fracking regulations.

lord henley: The Traffic Light System for monitoring induced seismicity was introduced after consideration of advice from three scientists, following operations at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in 2011. The level of magnitude 0.5 at which operators must pause operations, was set in consultation with industry as an appropriate precautionary measure. There are no plans to review the traffic light system.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

lord wallace of tankerness: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the Feed-in Tariff budget was committed in each year from 2015 to 2018; and how much of that budget was allocated to (1) wind,(2) solar, (3) hydro, (4) biomass, (5) anaerobic digestion, and (6) micro-combined heat and power in each of those years.

lord henley: The amount of budget committed to each wind band can be calculated using publicly available data. Total capacity deployed for each technology over the period 2016 – 2018 is published under the Feed-in Tariff Deployment Caps Monthly Reports. Total generation can be calculated by applying the load factors (published in the impact assessment that accompanied the 2015 Feed-in Tariffs review) to the total capacity. In order to calculate the value of the generation tariff payments made to each band, the total amount of generation per quarter is multiplied by the corresponding tariff rates available on Ofgem’s website.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

lord wallace of tankerness: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any Feed-in Tariff currently used for a specific renewable technology device or machine on which maintenance is conducted will be annulled after 2019.

lord henley: In our response to the Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) consultation published on 18 December 2018 we indicated our intention to consult on detailed proposals to allow existing FIT generators to replace any element of their plant and retain their current generation tariff. This will be subject to developing cost control measures which would need to be effective and proportionate from an administrative perspective.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cameroon: Armed Conflict

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the Biya regime in Cameroon (1) burning down Kumba hospital,(2) destroying villages, and(3) abductingSouthern Cameroonian students from their student accommodation.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned about reports of the burning down of a hospital in Kumba, South West Cameroon, on 11 February which resulted in the death of four people. It is unclear at this stage where responsibility for this terrible act lies, but a full investigation is needed so that the perpetrators can face justice. The British Government was also shocked by footage released in July 2018, although dated, showing the razing of villages. We are aware of increased reports of incidents of kidnap, particularly in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. We assess that both the Ambazonian separatist rebels and government forces are using excessive force and ordinary people are suffering in the crossfire. All schoolchildren and students should be able to access education in a safe environment.The Minister for Africa, Mrs Baldwin, met the Cameroonian Foreign Minister during the EU's Ministerial meeting with the African Union in Brussels on 23 January and raised the UK's concerns for the Anglophone communities and stressed much more needed to be done, including to protect human rights and uphold the rule of law. The UK condemns strongly all violations and abuses of human rights and calls on all sides to end the cycle of violence. We urge the government of Cameroon to work alongside the international community to ensure prompt and thorough investigation of all violations and abuses, and to hold perpetrators to account. The UK stands ready to assist in this regard.

Department of Health and Social Care

Liothyronine

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey will take to prevent any harm to thyroid patients who require liothyronineand who are unable to secure funding for such treatment by Clinical Commissioning Groupsbecause of the cost of this medicine set by the three UK licence holders.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Guidance on the prescribing of liothyronine has been published by the Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee (RMOC). A copy of Guidance – Prescribing of Liothyronine is attached. The aim of the guidance is to make best practice on the prescribing of liothyronine clearer. This guidance provides advice on the prescribing of liothyronine and on the review of National Health Service patients who are being prescribed liothyronine. The guidance supports clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and Area Prescribing Committees in local decision making and enables a consistent approach for the exceptional circumstances in which patients have an ongoing need for liothyronine.The guidance states that “As specified by the British Thyroid Association Executive Committee, clinicians have an ethical responsibility to adhere to the highest professional standards of good medical practice rooted in sound evidence. This includes not prescribing potentially harmful therapies without proven advantages over existing treatments’. The RMOC therefore recommends that strict criteria are applied to ensure that liothyronine is only prescribed in the very rare situations where alternative treatments have been found to be inadequate. In such circumstances, an ongoing shared care arrangement may be appropriate if agreed by local commissioners. If a patient is ever initiated on treatment, prescribing responsibility should remain with the hospital consultant for at least 3 months”.CCG are expected to have regard to national guidance, and are responsible for developing their own local approaches to its implementation taking into account local priorities and needs.Any patient who feels they have suffered harm as a result of NHS treatment may raise the matter, in writing, electronically, or orally, with the service provider, or with the commissioner of the service. If local resolution is unsuccessful, the person making the complaint has the right to refer their complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman.



HL13695 attached document
(PDF Document, 507.12 KB)

World Health Day

baroness mone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark World Health Day on 7 April.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: World Health Day is a key event to recognise, promote, and raise awareness of global health matters around the world. It falls on 7 April each year and marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. Each year it has a theme to highlight a global health issue. The theme for the 2019 World Health Day is Universal Health Coverage.The Department works closely with the WHO and will support World Health Day through promotion of the day and its key messages on social media platforms. We have done this for other global health days, including World Health Day 2018.

Health and Care Professions Council: Fees and Charges

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possible impact of the Health and Care Professions Council proposals to increase its mandatory registration fee by 18 per cent from October.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government has not made an assessment of the possible impact of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) proposals to increase its mandatory registration fee by 18% from October 2019. The HCPC is independent of Government, funded by registrants’ fees on a costs recovery basis. Following public consultation, the HCPC is planning to raise its annual fees by £16. If adopted, the HCPC’s annual registration fee will rise from £90 to £106 a year. HCPC registration fees will remain the lowest of any of the United Kingdom-wide health and care regulators. Registration fees are tax-deductible and this fee rise will amount to just over £1 a month extra for most of the HCPC’s registrants.

Health Professions: Migrant Workers

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage health professionals from overseas to work in the UK.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government is committed to ensuring that the National Health Service can recruit as many doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals from abroad as it needs. We also recognise how important it is to make international recruitment as straight forward and user-friendly as possible, both for applicants and employers.As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, the Secretary of State has commissioned Baroness Harding to lead a rapid and inclusive programme of work to set out a detailed workforce implementation plan to be published in the spring. Encouraging overseas health professionals to come and work in the NHS is being considered as part of this plan.Furthermore, our future immigration system will prioritise high and medium-skilled workers and the Tier 2 visa cap will be abolished. In addition to this, the Government will also be removing the Resident Labour Market Test for skilled workers – this will remove a month from the process of recruiting from overseas. As we bring the European Union into a new single immigration system we will make the existing sponsorship system more streamlined.

Department for Education

Voluntary Schools

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they will take to prevent new voluntary aided schools with a religious character from immediately converting to academy status to bypass the 50 per cent cap on religiously selective admissions that currently applies to free schools.

lord agnew of oulton: Any voluntary-aided schools, including those funded through the recently announced capital scheme, can apply to convert to academy status in the same way as any other maintained school. Whilst we do not plan to put in place specific restrictions on academy conversion for voluntary-aided schools, they will need to obtain the necessary consents, meet our criteria and undertake a consultation before doing so.

Faith Schools: Admissions

baroness bakewell: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to ensure that children within the catchment area of a school with 100 per cent religious intake are not disadvantaged in the choice of schools available to them.

lord agnew of oulton: The government is committed to offering parents and children a diverse education system consisting of a wide variety of schools, and this includes faith schools.Parents are able to express a preference for at least 3 schools they would like their child to attend and, subject to very limited exceptions, local authorities and school admission authorities must comply with that preference. However, where a school receives more applications than it has places available, places must be allocated in accordance with the school’s published oversubscription criteria.It is for the admission authority of individual schools to decide which oversubscription criteria are most suitable for their school, according to the local circumstances.Admission authorities of schools with a religious designation can choose to adopt faith-based oversubscription criteria. However, some faith schools choose to only allocate a proportion of their places with reference to faith, and some do not apply any faith criteria at all. Where a faith school has places available, it must admit all applicants, without reference to faith.Anyone who believes that a school’s admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful may make an objection the Schools Adjudicator.

Universities: Billing

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is responsible for monitoring the payment performance of universities and ensuring that they comply with the Public Service Contracts Regulations 2015.

viscount younger of leckie: Under the definitions of “contracting authorities” and “bodies governed by public law” as specified by regulation 2 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, not all universities fall under these regulations because, for some, the majority of their funding does not come from public sources.Where the regulations do apply, it is the universities’ responsibility, as independent contracting authorities, to ensure they comply with their legal obligations. Failure to comply can leave them open to legal remedies, as set out in the regulations, following complaints from aggrieved suppliers.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Casualties

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the pre- and post-section 104 order protocols between theMinistry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, the Scottish Government Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Chief Coroner on dealing with military deaths in Scotland.

earl howe: The protocol for liaison on Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) relates to fatalities of Armed Forces personnel outside the United Kingdom (the protocol) and is shared between the Ministry of Justice (for the Chief Coroner's Office), the Ministry of Defence (Armed Forces Personnel), and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). The protocol was originally drafted and agreed on 31 August 2012; it was subsequently revised on 25 May 2017 following consultations between the parties. The Ministry of Defence put forward further revisions. Further work on the protocol was delayed due to the Ministry of Justice not being able to provide feedback due to being overwhelmed with the terrorist events in London and they have not been in a position to consider the protocol further. Further consultations on the protocol have not been able to be held due to time commitments by the other parties. COPFS have advised that as part of a modernisation project, they plan to revitalise the discussions on the protocol in the near future. These discussions will now include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The protocol must be owned by all parties as it is a tripartite agreement. The protocol is a draft document until full agreement is achieved by all the parties, and cannot be published at this time.

Military Aircraft: Training

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further tothe Written Answer byEarl Howeon 12 September 2016(HL1529), whetherthe Ascent Flight Training programme is fully up and running; how many fixed-wing jet trainees have graduated since 2016; and whether Ascent has been fined since 2015.

earl howe: All elements of the UK Military Flying Training System are due to be fully up and running by mid-2020, although training has been under way on the Fast Jet and Rear Crew training pipelines since 2012. To date, a total of 147 fixed wing jet trainees have graduated from the Ascent Flight Training programme since 2016. Ascent has not been 'fined' by the Authority or any external agencies. However, under the terms of its contract with the Ministry of Defence, Ascent has been subject to some payment deductions since 2015 for provision of services not fully meeting requirements. In addition, Ascent has received deductions from its Training Service Availability Payments for late delivery of assets and forgone a percentage of course completion incentive fees for late delivery of training courses.

Department for Work and Pensions

Bereavement Benefits

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many families with children were receiving Bereavement Benefit or Bereavement Support Payments in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, and (3) 2017–18; and how many such families are estimated to receive payments in (a) 2018–19, and (b) 2019–20.

baroness buscombe: The latest available information is given below. Widowed Parents Allowance recipients with dependants by Quarter, Feb 15 to Aug 18WPA with dependants  Feb-1544,949May-1545,589Aug-1543,667Nov-1543,206Feb-1644,350May-1645,411Aug-1644,767Nov-1642,554Feb-1743,884May-1744,138Aug-1739,164Nov-1738,751Feb-1838,158Aug-1834,254 Source: Department for Work and Pensions Notes: Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data. Totals may not sum due to the disclosure control applied.Widowed Parents Allowance: Weekly benefit payable to widowed parents. A widow/widower may be entitled to this if his/her late spouse/civil partner had paid enough NIC and the widow/widower is receiving Child Benefit or can be treated as entitled to Child Benefit,or the late spouse/civil partner was receiving child benefit, or expecting her husband's/civil partner's baby (pregnant from fertility treatment).Bereavement Support Payment claims in payment by rate of BSP and month, April 2017 to September 2018   Rate of BSP TotalStandard RateHigher RateApr-172,2401,880360May-175,1204,210910Jun-177,8506,4701,390Jul-1710,7008,8001,910Aug-1713,50011,1202,370Sep-1716,27013,4302,840Oct-1719,27015,9403,330Nov-1722,25018,4503,800Dec-1725,44021,1604,280Jan-1828,87024,0004,870Feb-1831,86026,5205,340Mar-1834,97029,1205,850Apr-1837,94031,6506,380May-1840,96034,0306,930Jun-1843,86036,4107,450Jul-1846,87038,9007,970Aug-1849,87041,3908,480Sep-1852,73043,7408,990Source: Clerical administrative data Notes: Rate of BSP: There are two rates at which BSP can be paid: higher or standard. Claimants who are entitled to Child Benefit or who were pregnant when their husband, wife or civil partner died will get the higher rate. All other claimants will get the standard rate.Month: These figures represent the situation at a specific point in time, which is on the last day of the reporting month. Monthly claims in payment figures include backdated payments. Forecasted figures broken down to the level requested are not readily available, and to provide them would incur disproportionate costs. However, the figures available at a broader level are presented below. Caseload information by Bereavement benefits Bereavement related benefits caseload2018/19 Forecast (in thousands)2019/20 Forecast (in thousands)Bereavement Allowance (previously widow's Pension)103 98 of which working age10398of which pensioners--   Bereavement Support Payment49 55 of which higher rate89of which lower rate4146Bereavement benefits & Widow's benefits54 43  Notes:Caseload figures represent an average over the full financial year; caseloads for benefits which commenced or ended during a financial year still reflect an average over the full year.Numbers for the years 2018/19 and 2019/20 are forecasts, and as such are liable to change.Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.‘-‘ Denotes nil or negligible.‘.’ Denotes not available.

Poverty: Lone Parents

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support lone-parent families living in poverty;and in particular, to tackle (1) high housing costs, (2) low-paid work, and (3) cuts to benefits and tax credits.

baroness buscombe: There is clear evidence that work offers the best opportunity for families to move out of poverty and towards financial independence. Children of lone parent workless families are around 4 times more likely to be in poverty than those where their parent works full time. There are now over 1.2 million lone parents in work and this Government has introduced a number of changes to help lone parents address the challenges they face. Working parents on Universal Credit can have up to 85% of their childcare costs reimbursed – worth up to £1,108 per month for someone with two or more children. We have also introduced additional flexibility on support for up front childcare costs, increased work allowances and doubled free childcare available to working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours per week. People on Universal Credit who earn above £542 a month are exempt from the benefit cap, and lone parents need to work just 16 hours a week to be eligible for Working Tax Credits and be exempt from the benefit cap.This Government has introduced the National Living Wage which will increase again to £8.21 from April 2019. This is expected to benefit up to 2.4m people with the rise this April increasing a full-time worker’s annual pay by over £2,750 since its introduction. Our tax changes will make basic rate tax payers £1,075 better off in 2018-19 than in 2010-11. And we have provided around £1billion in Discretionary Housing Payment funding since 2011, enabling local authorities to protect the most vulnerable claimants

Poverty

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the pilot Department for Work and Pensions and Oxfam Cymru livelihoods and poverty awareness training project carried out in 2016–17; and whether there are any plans to introduce such training elsewhere.

baroness buscombe: The department has not carried out any assessment of the Oxfam Cymru livelihoods and poverty awareness training project. Oxfam Cymru commissioned the University of Salford to carry out an independent evaluation the result of which can be found on their website. The Department is exploring how this approach could be included as part of our claimant offer and the associated training requirements for our staff.

Poverty: Children

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help reduce levels of child poverty in the UK.

baroness buscombe: There is clear evidence that work offers the best opportunity for families to move out of poverty and towards financial independence. Children in workless households are around 5 times more likely to be in poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work. 62% of children living in a workless couple family are in relative poverty (before housing costs) compared with only 3% where both adults work full-time.This is why we are continuing to undertake the most ambitious reform to the welfare system in decades – so that it supports people to find and to stay in work. Nationally, there are now over 3.5 million more people in work. Universal Credit is at the heart of these reforms. It is designed to promote full-time work and employment for partners where possible, through smoother incentives to increase hours.Working parents on UC can have up to 85% of their childcare costs reimbursed – worth up to £1,108 per month for someone with two or more children. We have also introduced additional flexibility on support for up front childcare costs, increased work allowances, and doubled free childcare available to working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours per week.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Zoos: Safety

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the safety systems and processes in UK zoos to protect staff, customers and animals.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is committed to ensuring that zoos are safe places to work and visit, and that there are high standards of welfare for all animals. The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 sets out comprehensive licensing and inspection requirements for zoos. Responsibility for administering these requirements rests with local authorities. Defra supports this by providing the Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, which sets out minimum standards that zoos are expected to meet, covering welfare and safety. The standards are kept under review by Defra’s Zoos Expert Committee, a group of independent experts that advises Defra on zoo issues. Zoos must also comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 which ensures the safety of staff.

Agriculture: Pests

lord wallace of tankerness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential risk to agricultural products in the UK through the import of goods or vehicles carrying the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys.

lord gardiner of kimble: The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is an insect from eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan). It has no established populations in the UK. We are aware that it has spread into the USA and to mainland Europe. For example, it was first reported in Germany in 2001. Subsequent reports have come from Switzerland (2004), Greece (2011), France (2012), Italy (2012) and Hungary (2013). The insect has been intercepted in the UK on several occasions in recent years. We have carried out a risk assessment on the potential for this organism to arrive in the UK and cause damage. Given its establishment in Europe and other parts of the world and its potential to spread by hitchhiking, on vehicles and through human movements, as well as via trade, our assessment has shown that it has the potential to reach the UK. It may be able to survive in our climate, but is unlikely to reach more than one generation per year, preventing it from reaching harmful levels. The insect is not therefore a significant threat to UK horticultural crops but as with all pests and diseases, the UK continues to closely monitor any threats. A Defra fact sheet on the insect has been published on the Plant Health Portal.

Air Pollution

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey have taken in response to the recommendations madein the report by the House of CommonsEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environmental Audit, Health and Social Care, and Transport CommitteesImproving air quality,published on 7 March 2018,to ensure that they align (1) climate change schemes, (2) urban planning, (3) public transport, and (4) fiscal incentives for zero emission vehicles, with air quality goals to preventtheir policies from working at cross-purposes.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government responded in full to the recommendations on 22 May 2018. The Government’s focus in the immediate term is bringing forward compliance with legal limits for NO2 concentrations, and stakeholders from seven departments take part in the governance of the NO2 Plan with a view to ensuring policies are aligned. The Government published its new Clean Air Strategy on 14 January 2019, setting out a world leading plan to tackle air pollution that is aimed at all sectors of work and society.

Home Office

Undocumented Migrants

lord green of deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many migrants who had entered the UK illegally were encountered by (1) port authorities,and (2) the police after passing through UK ports in each year since 2010.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not routinely publish this level of data on clandestine entry or attempts to enter the UK but data on clandestine detection that has been published can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-clandestines-detected-at-the-juxtaposed-controls-and-at-uk-ports-from-2010-to-2014

Drugs: Organised Crime

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any police forces plan to increase the number of juvenile covert human intelligence sources to deal with county lines drugs conspiracies.

baroness williams of trafford: The small number of juveniles authorised as CHIS are a vital investigative tool for relevant public authorities to fulfil their statutory obligations, providing unique access to information important in preventing and prosecuting criminality such as gang violence and terrorism. The statutory framework for the deployment of juveniles as covert human intelligence sources is designed to ensure that they are deployed with great care and only in very limited and carefully managed circumstances.The Home Office does not collect information on covert human intelligence sources in county line crimes as this is an operational matter.

Department for International Trade

Arms Trade

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any significant defence sales of UK manufactured systems that are not used by the UK armed forces.

baroness fairhead: The Department for International Trade’s Defence and Security Organisation supports legitimate UK defence exports, whether they are in service with the UK armed forces or not, as part of its role in helping the UK defence industry to export. The Ministry of Defence is currently considering the Honourable Member for Ludlow’s independent report into growing defence’s contribution to UK economic growth. On a rolling 10-year basis, the UK remains the second largest global defence exporter and in 2017, the UK won defence orders worth £9 billion.

Trade

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on future global trade.

baroness fairhead: Our priority remains getting approval for the deal we have negotiated with our European partners. Alongside this, the Government will continue to do the responsible thing and prepare for all eventualities with partner countries, including a ‘no deal’ scenario. Details of these preparations can be found in the Government paper “Implications for business and trade of a No Deal exit on 29 March” published on the 26 February. Regardless of how we leave, for the first time in more than four decades, the UK will have an independent trade policy once we exit from the EU. We will deploy all the tools at our disposal and tailor our trade policy to the strengths and requirements of the UK economy. The Government is preparing for an ambitious programme of trade negotiations and enhanced market access. We have consulted on our first four potential free trade agreements (FTAs), with Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The Government has committed to publishing Scoping Assessments prior to launching negotiations on new FTAs. We will then publish an impact assessment of any concluded agreement prior to ratification. While we are looking to forge new agreements, the Government is also seeking continuity for our existing EU trade agreements as we leave the European Union. We have made good progress, signing trade continuity agreements with Switzerland, Chile, the Eastern and Southern African (ESA) states, the Faroe Islands, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority.